Reuters Health News Summary
Following is a summary of current health news briefs.
Lebanon's president calls for people to work from home amid virus outbreak
Lebanon's president called on Sunday for citizens to work from home and avoid socializing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. "Each of us is called upon to continue his work, from home, in the way he sees appropriate," President Michel Aoun said in a televised address at the start of a cabinet meeting that was expected to declare measures to deal with the outbreak.
Mnuchin says U.S. coronavirus aid bill cost should be significant, not huge
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday officials will have a better idea this week of the total cost of a coronavirus aid package, but predicted it will likely be "significant but not huge." Mnuchin told "Fox News Sunday" he also planned to talk to lawmakers about critical aid to airlines, as well as the hotel and cruise ship industries.
Vietnam's coronavirus cases rise to 57 - health ministry
Vietnam has confirmed four more cases of coronavirus, all among foreign nationals, its health ministry said on Sunday, bringing its total number of cases to 57. The latest detected patients include a Lithuanian, a German and two British nationals, the health ministry said in a statement.
South Korea designates regions hit hardest by coronavirus as disaster zones
South Korea on Sunday reported 76 new coronavirus cases and three deaths, marking the first time in over three weeks that new cases have dropped to double-digits, as President Moon Jae-in declared the hardest hit provinces "special disaster zones". It is the first time South Korea has declared a region a disaster zone from an infectious disease and under the status the government can subsidize up to 50% of restoration expenses and exempt residents from taxes and utility payments.
Iran's death toll from coronavirus reaches 724, says health official
Iran said on Sunday that the new coronavirus has killed 113 people in the past 24 hours, raising the country's death toll to 724, a health ministry official tweeted, adding that the number of infected people had reached 13,938. The new figures were tweeted by Alireza Vahabzadeh, an adviser to Iran's health minister.
China tightens quarantine, airport checks as imported coronavirus cases tick up
China has tightened checks on international travelers at Beijing airport and said it will centrally quarantine all arrivals at its capital, after new imported coronavirus cases surpassed locally transmitted infections for a second day. China, where the epidemic began in December, appears to now face a greater threat of new infections from outside its borders as it continues to slow the spread of the virus domestically.
Indonesia reports 21 new coronavirus cases, total at 117: CNN Indonesia
Indonesia reported 21 new coronavirus infections, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 117, CNN Indonesia reported on Sunday, citing health ministry official Achmad Yurianto. Of the new cases, 19 were detected in Jakarta and two in the Central Java province, Yurianto reportedly said.
Greece says fatalities from coronavirus rose to four
Greece reported one more fatality from coronavirus on Sunday, raising the total number of deaths in the country to four. Confirmed infections rose by 103 to a total of 331, the health ministry's Sotiris Tsiodras said at a news conference.
Britain set to isolate over-70s as coronavirus deaths rise to 35
Britain will isolate older people "within weeks" and force into quarantine anyone diagnosed with coronavirus, the government said as it stepped up measures that have so far been less stringent than elsewhere in Europe. The British Heath Secretary Matt Hancock said people aged over 70 would be shielded from the virus by self-isolating for up to four months, with an announcement "in the coming weeks".
Germany tries to halt U.S. interest in firm working on coronavirus vaccine
Berlin is trying to stop Washington from persuading a German company seeking a coronavirus vaccine to move its research to the United States, prompting German politicians to insist no country should have a monopoly on any future vaccine. German government sources told Reuters on Sunday that the U.S. administration was looking into how it could gain access to a potential vaccine being developed by a German firm, CureVac.
